On the journey

June 3, 2017

#30DaysWild Day 3

Day three of connecting with nature encouraged by The Wildlife Trust, UK. My outdoor adventures brought me to some lovely lime trees, and to some that have just started to blossom. And the scent is just beginning to be evident. There is one park nearby which has a whole avenue of lime trees, and when they are all blossoming it is like inhaling sweet incense! I have found out that these trees are native to Europe and that they are also known as linden trees – from the German word linde, meaning lime. Apparently, lime wood is strong and has a fine grain, and as it resists splitting it has been very popular with wood carvers for centuries. Grinling Gibbons, a British wood carver, used lime wood extensively, and his carvings are in places such as Hampton Court Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral. [There are some interesting clips about his work on Youtube].

The Wildlife Trust encourages us to take part in Random Acts of Wildness – and mine today was to go into the local common and collect rubbish. I used one plastic bag as a kind of glove, and picked up bottles, cans and cartons that people had forgotten to put in the rubbish bins. So it’s a bit nicer for squirrels, birds, dogs and us :). And while I did that, I came across this rather nice mushroom/fungi under a tree! Quite undisturbed and minding its own business!